Behind the Static, 560-lb. Weaning Weights

[mncowboy]

https://www.drovers.com/article/behind- ... ng-weights

Most of you may have seen this already, but thought it was an interesting article worth sharing.

 

[Stocker Steve]

My weaning weights keep going up - - but I graze cover crops or creep with home grown oats in the fall. And then cull anyone with a dink. Many around here wean on the trailer when their golf course pastures turn brown. Expensive terminal bulls don't help them much...

You can consistently make money selling sucking calves in the artic by picking through cheap sales barn cows, or being a really bad book keeper. :lol2: I am not interested in those games. We have gone to back grounding calves to about 750#. This has more than doubled our gross margin per acre.

 

[Ebenezer]

Weaning weight does not automatically = profit. Many breeds have downsized during the period. Exception: Angus has gone up in mature weights. If folks target a 1250 to 1450 pound cow it is hard to get average WWs much higher and keep the MW under 1450. Most increase we ever saw in one year on WW (other than extreme crossbreeding) was adding water troughs. Weaning weight went up an average of 25 pounds that year and mostly since. Funniest thing, in a sick kind of way: EPDs have rocketed during the time. And you know that they are correct!

 

[Aaron]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Then they'll scream they dont finish with the others..these speculators will have folks constantly chasing rabbits...

 

[dieselbeef]

I took the advice given me at the barn last yr and am keeping both the hiefers and steers till 9 mos then depending on the timing..
the feedlot guy and the auction owner held a class..theyre the guys buying...partially....they know what they want

 

[Son of Butch]

:roll: Terrible.
Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

My take away from the article was that you should wean before 550 lbs as cost per pound of gain was more profitable feeding calves dry feed vs additional feed required for cows to produce the milk needed to produce pound of gain after 550 lbs.

 

[Silver]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

Well, the weaning weights probably would, but not necessarily the mature weight.

 

[Aaron]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

Well, the weaning weights probably would, but not necessarily the mature weight.

I wasn't referring to mature weight. But they likely would, as I haven't seen too many fullblood Simms finish at 1300, more like 1600.

 

[elkwc]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

I take it you are talking about the Red Simmis? The Black Simmis around us don't wean any heavier than our good Angus calves.

 

[Aaron]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

I take it you are talking about the Red Simmis? The Black Simmis around us don't wean any heavier than our good Angus calves.

Pure Simmi. Not those Angus crossbreds.

 

[Muddy]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

I take it you are talking about the Red Simmis? The Black Simmis around us don't wean any heavier than our good Angus calves.

They must be crappy black sims then.

 

[elkwc]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

I take it you are talking about the Red Simmis? The Black Simmis around us don't wean any heavier than our good Angus calves.

They must be crappy black sims then.

According to this site and those I've asked they are well bred. I had a PB Angus calf that his mother weaned at 7 months and had no creep but was on wheat pasture for 7 weeks before he was 8 months old weigh a 1,000 even across certified scales. He had nothing but wheat until ten months old and then went to grass and weighed 1,263 at a year. That is as good as anything in this area without creep or extra feed. He had a half brother that was the number one bull in the Green Springs test. His steer and heifer siblings graded a 100% choice and fed at the top of the yard during the period they were fed. There is Angus out there that will perform with anything.

 

[elkwc]

:roll: Terrible. Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

I take it you are talking about the Red Simmis? The Black Simmis around us don't wean any heavier than our good Angus calves.

Pure Simmi. Not those Angus crossbreds.

I figured that you were.

 

[Stocker Steve]

The interesting thing is when you wean milk thief at 750 to 800#.
So skip a Simi half step, and just buy some of those unloved $900 stein springer heifers for beef replacements. :nod:

Got Milk?

 

[elkwc]

The interesting thing is when you wean milk thief at 750 to 800#.
So skip a Simi half step, and just buy some of those unloved $900 stein springer heifers for beef replacements. :nod:

Got Milk?

I can get the milk needed to wean calves in the 700-750 range with Herefords and Angus. I don't need a stein or any other breed. I have PB Angus that will are on the borderline of milking too heavy.

 

[3waycross]

:roll: Terrible.
Get everyone to chuck those British cows and get herds of fullblood Simmental. Weights will go up big time then.

My take away from the article was that you should wean before 550 lbs as cost per pound of gain was more profitable feeding calves dry feed vs additional feed required for cows to produce the milk needed to produce pound of gain after 550 lbs.

not to mention the effect it has on your cow factory to work fewer days per year....better breedback and longevity.

 

[Silver]

All the cow's hard work is done before the calf hits 550 lbs. Milk production is way down and calves are grazing the pounds on. If I had to supply feed rather than untame grazing for my pairs I would sure be getting them off the cows sooner though.

 

[1982vett]

All the cow's hard work is done before the calf hits 550 lbs. Milk production is way down and calves are grazing the pounds on. If I had to supply feed rather than untame grazing for my pairs I would sure be getting them off the cows sooner though.

I'm guessing the corn lobby is saying corn can get you their faster than grass..... :secret:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The interesting thing is when you wean milk thief at 750 to 800#.
So skip a Simi half step, and just buy some of those unloved $900 stein springer heifers for beef replacements. :nod:

Got Milk?

You lost me????